History of Steroids and HGH in Bodybuilding

History of Steroids and HGH in Bodybuilding

In the world of bodybuilding, few topics spark as much curiosity, controversy, and misinformation as anabolic steroids and human growth hormone (HGH). For decades, these compounds have been linked to rapid muscle growth, elite performance, and the physiques that dominate competitive stages. But behind the size and strength lies a far more complex story—one that modern science is now unpacking with greater clarity.

As new research published in 2025 and 2026 examines the long-term health effects of steroid and HGH use, the conversation has shifted from short-term gains to lasting consequences. Studies are no longer focused only on muscle hypertrophy, but on cardiovascular damage, neurological changes, hormonal disruption, and the hidden risks of underground drug contamination. What once lived in locker-room myths is now being measured in laboratories and medical journals.

This article explores the full picture: the history of steroids and HGH in bodybuilding, how they actually work in the body, what the latest research reveals, and why the health risks are more serious than many athletes realise. Whether you’re a lifter, coach, or simply interested in performance science, understanding these hormones beyond the hype is essential in 2026.

Steroid contamination and hidden risks

Recent forensic research found that many injectable and oral anabolic steroids bought outside legal medical channels are mislabelled and contain toxic heavy metals like lead, arsenic, and cadmium.

These contaminants can accumulate in the body with repeated use and raise the risk of cognitive decline, organ damage, and cancer, even if the hormones themselves are present in expected doses.

This is important because most “underground” steroids aren’t manufactured under strict quality control, meaning people using them recreationally often don’t know what they’re really injecting.

Steroids and real cardiovascular harm

Recent reviews in medical journals show that long-term anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) misuse can directly contribute to serious heart problems:

Cardiomyopathy (weakened heart muscle) and impaired pump function

Hypertension and dyslipidemia — unhealthy blood lipid profiles

Evidence for endothelial damage, oxidative stress, and fibrosis (scarring)

All of these raise the risk of heart disease and sudden cardiac events in otherwise healthy-looking athletes.

Even focused meta-reviews now identify AAS abuse as a modifiable cardiovascular risk factor, meaning the damage isn’t trivial or cosmetic — it’s a core health threat.

Brain and cognitive effects

Emerging research is mapping how chronic steroid exposure impacts the brain

Memory dysfunction

Impaired attention and executive function

Risk-taking and behavioural dysregulation traits

Much of this appears linked to neurotoxic effects on the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, regions essential for learning and impulse control.

This helps explain why long-term misuse is associated with mood disorders and poor decision-making in some bodybuilders, beyond just bodily side effects.

A new clinical look at steroids + HGH together

A broad systematic review in Scientific Reports analysed GH and AAS use in critically ill patients — not athletes — but with implications for anabolic biology.

While in that clinical context, GH improved nitrogen balance (a marker of protein building), use was tied to longer hospital stays and no clear survival benefit, highlighting that even medically supervised hormone use isn’t risk-free.

For athletes and bodybuilders, that suggests anabolic signals from GH and steroids may not translate into the straightforward performance boosts people hope for, and the risks can accumulate.

📜 History & Context: Steroids & HGH in Bodybuilding

Anabolic steroids emerged in the mid-20th century after testosterone synthesis was understood. Early research and athlete experimentation in the 1950s–1970s showed dramatic increases in muscle mass, which fueled their widespread adoption in sports and bodybuilding.

Human Growth Hormone (HGH) has always been more niche due to cost and earlier limited availability. It gained popularity among elite athletes in the 1980s and 1990s as Peptide GH and synthetic GH therapies became more accessible. Despite its marketing in some circles as a “recovery” or anti-ageing agent, controlled studies have not shown consistent strength gains from HGH alone in healthy adults, and benefits often reflect fluid retention, not real performance capacity.

Regulatory bodies like the Anabolic Steroids Control Act and the World Anti-Doping Agency have listed both AAS and HGH on banned substances lists for decades, reflecting long-standing public-health and sporting fairness concerns.

🧠 What This Means for Bodybuilders

Steroids

They do enhance lean mass and strength in the short term — that’s well-documented in older research and meta-analyses.

But more recent evidence emphasises serious cardiovascular, neurological, and contamination risks that many users underestimate.

HGH

Does stimulates protein synthesis and may improve nitrogen balance, but doesn’t reliably boost muscle strength in healthy adults.

Most clinical benefits are seen in deficiency states or specific wasting syndromes, not routine athletic enhancement.

Combined use

There’s no strong evidence that adding HGH to steroid cycles meaningfully improves performance beyond the harms it can cause; metabolic disruption and side effects like hyperglycemia and oedema remain concerns.

🧩 Bottom Line

Modern science is no longer just about “do steroids build muscle?” — it’s showing how they affect organs, metabolism, and long-term health, and where HGH fits into that story. The newer literature frames these drugs not just as performance tools but as serious medical exposures with systemic effects that extend far beyond muscle size.